I'm actually amused by how stupid this controversy is. Because it's not actually a controversy! But that hasn't stopped the so-called "experts" from speaking out as if they know what they're talking about when, in reality, they have no clue. And, frankly, all they're doing with their fake "outrage" is exposing their ignorance on the subject!
For those of you who haven't seen it, the controversy centers around the women's uniform. The design that Nike chose to feature (which anyone who knows anything about track & field knows is one of many options) was the one-piece, bathing-suit style version, which has been called everything from "sexist" to "patriarchal" by critics. (There were also some very humorous comments from members of the U.S. women's track & field team.) Some have even questioned who designed them and wondered how women can be expected to perform in them.
When I first saw them, I didn't like them, either. But my reaction was more "Boy, are these ugly!" And also, "Why are they purple?" (I think they're technically supposed to be primarily blue, but it definitely looks purple, just like how the Tokyo version of the same uniform was evidently supposed to be red, but looked pink.) They're also essentially the exact same uniforms the British women's team has worn since Tokyo (Nike is a sponsor of British Athletics, but not the British Olympic Committee, which is sponsored by Adidas, so the British team wears Adidas in the Olympics, then Nike at all other times).
But, like I said, I'm amused by the reaction to the uniforms and some of the asinine comments from the critics. Some of those critics include former Olympic runners like Lauren Fleshman, who was incredibly vocal on Instagram, but really just made herself look like an idiot. Fleshman has been on multiple U.S. National Teams. She should know as well as anybody that there are multiple options. The women can even wear the men's uniform if they want!
That to me is the funniest part of the entire thing. There were three American female track & field Olympians at the reveal. They were all wearing different styles of the uniform, and NONE of them had on the one-piece in question! Sha'Carri Richardson came the closest. She wore the one-piece uniform, but it was with spandex instead of briefs. So, there's obviously more than just the one option! (As anyone who's ever watched track & field before already knew!)
It even got to the point where both Nike and USA Track & Field had to clarify there are many options for the women to choose from. And they were both sure to mention that the uniforms were designed after consultation with numerous parties, including the athletes themselves! Katie Moon, the reigning Olympic and World Champion in the pole vault, went on Instagram to not just respond to Fleshman, but to flat-out state that she prefers to wear the briefs, as well as her reason why.
The fact that she had to say that, frankly, is ridiculous. It's not sexist if the women are given options (which they are). And it's really not sexist if they choose to wear a particular uniform! It's obviously about performance. If it wasn't, they wouldn't wear it. Shouldn't it tell you something that they have the choice and still pick the one that the ignorant have decided is sexist?
Same thing in beach volleyball, which was inevitably going to be brought into the conversation. They aren't required to wear bikinis. Many of them do anyway. Not just because they're more comfortable in them, but also because it's hot and because there's less places for sand to get stuck. But they can also wear leggings or long-sleeved tops if they want to. And there are Arab countries that have women's beach volleyball teams. Those athletes obviously don't wear bikinis for religious reasons.
This is nothing new for track & field, either. The one-piece uniform style in question goes all the way back to at least 1984 and 1988, when it was worn by Florence Griffith-Joyner. Maybe even further. It fell out of style for a little while in favor of the crop top and racing briefs, but gradually started to come back and was an option for every Nike-sponsored country at the Tokyo Games. At the request of the athletes! British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith likes the one-piece better than the other options and wears it all the time.
Comparing the men's and women's uniforms is also an incredibly dumb argument. That's like asking why women's bathing suits cover their chest and men's bathing suits don't. Because there are anatomical differences between men and women that make having the same uniform not only impractical, but impossible! Meanwhile, both Nike and USA Track & Field have said the women can wear the men's uniform if they want to (just as the disgraced Marion Jones did), further invalidating that argument.
Track & field uniforms are also very event-specific. They've never been a one-size-fits-all type of thing. Throwers and distance runners have very different body types. They're not expected to wear the same style of the uniform, and they don't. Athletes can wear whichever style they want, and there's even been events where three Americans in the same race have worn three different uniforms. Although, that may not be the case in finals in Paris.
Since 2008, Nike has had a different singlet just for the relays. At this Olympics, for the first time, if an athlete makes it to the final in their event, they'll get a separate, finals-only uniform top, as well. There's even a one-piece version of the women's finals uniform should they choose, as well as all of the others...which, with all of the different variations, number over 20.
But nobody's talking about that. They're only talking about the "sexist" singlet that they saw on a mannequin (not even an actual athlete). They are talking about it, though. And that might be the whole point. Because there's no such thing as bad publicity, right? Suddenly people care and all sorts of articles are being written about Nike's Olympic track & field uniforms...which likely wouldn't have happened otherwise. And Nike knows that. We'll never know if it was deliberate or not, but Nike probably isn't complaining about the amount of attention this story has drawn. In fact, it may have been exactly what they wanted.
But, like I said, I'm amused by the reaction to the uniforms and some of the asinine comments from the critics. Some of those critics include former Olympic runners like Lauren Fleshman, who was incredibly vocal on Instagram, but really just made herself look like an idiot. Fleshman has been on multiple U.S. National Teams. She should know as well as anybody that there are multiple options. The women can even wear the men's uniform if they want!
That to me is the funniest part of the entire thing. There were three American female track & field Olympians at the reveal. They were all wearing different styles of the uniform, and NONE of them had on the one-piece in question! Sha'Carri Richardson came the closest. She wore the one-piece uniform, but it was with spandex instead of briefs. So, there's obviously more than just the one option! (As anyone who's ever watched track & field before already knew!)
It even got to the point where both Nike and USA Track & Field had to clarify there are many options for the women to choose from. And they were both sure to mention that the uniforms were designed after consultation with numerous parties, including the athletes themselves! Katie Moon, the reigning Olympic and World Champion in the pole vault, went on Instagram to not just respond to Fleshman, but to flat-out state that she prefers to wear the briefs, as well as her reason why.
The fact that she had to say that, frankly, is ridiculous. It's not sexist if the women are given options (which they are). And it's really not sexist if they choose to wear a particular uniform! It's obviously about performance. If it wasn't, they wouldn't wear it. Shouldn't it tell you something that they have the choice and still pick the one that the ignorant have decided is sexist?
Same thing in beach volleyball, which was inevitably going to be brought into the conversation. They aren't required to wear bikinis. Many of them do anyway. Not just because they're more comfortable in them, but also because it's hot and because there's less places for sand to get stuck. But they can also wear leggings or long-sleeved tops if they want to. And there are Arab countries that have women's beach volleyball teams. Those athletes obviously don't wear bikinis for religious reasons.
This is nothing new for track & field, either. The one-piece uniform style in question goes all the way back to at least 1984 and 1988, when it was worn by Florence Griffith-Joyner. Maybe even further. It fell out of style for a little while in favor of the crop top and racing briefs, but gradually started to come back and was an option for every Nike-sponsored country at the Tokyo Games. At the request of the athletes! British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith likes the one-piece better than the other options and wears it all the time.
Comparing the men's and women's uniforms is also an incredibly dumb argument. That's like asking why women's bathing suits cover their chest and men's bathing suits don't. Because there are anatomical differences between men and women that make having the same uniform not only impractical, but impossible! Meanwhile, both Nike and USA Track & Field have said the women can wear the men's uniform if they want to (just as the disgraced Marion Jones did), further invalidating that argument.
Track & field uniforms are also very event-specific. They've never been a one-size-fits-all type of thing. Throwers and distance runners have very different body types. They're not expected to wear the same style of the uniform, and they don't. Athletes can wear whichever style they want, and there's even been events where three Americans in the same race have worn three different uniforms. Although, that may not be the case in finals in Paris.
Since 2008, Nike has had a different singlet just for the relays. At this Olympics, for the first time, if an athlete makes it to the final in their event, they'll get a separate, finals-only uniform top, as well. There's even a one-piece version of the women's finals uniform should they choose, as well as all of the others...which, with all of the different variations, number over 20.
But nobody's talking about that. They're only talking about the "sexist" singlet that they saw on a mannequin (not even an actual athlete). They are talking about it, though. And that might be the whole point. Because there's no such thing as bad publicity, right? Suddenly people care and all sorts of articles are being written about Nike's Olympic track & field uniforms...which likely wouldn't have happened otherwise. And Nike knows that. We'll never know if it was deliberate or not, but Nike probably isn't complaining about the amount of attention this story has drawn. In fact, it may have been exactly what they wanted.
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